The Arakan Army (AA) has intensified its campaign against Rohingya business owners in Maungdaw, forcibly seizing their homes while ramping up extortion demands, deepening the crisis for Myanmar’s embattled Rohingya community.  

Local reports indicate that since (February 1), 2025, AA has systematically taken control of Rohingya-owned properties, placing red signboards marked “Restricted Notice” in the Rakhine language, effectively barring families from their homes. The growing extortion racket has left Rohingya business owners in a dire situation, where paying illegal levies to AA is no longer a safeguard against dispossession.  
Rohingya Business Owners Under Siege
Among those affected is Yusuf, the son of Haji Shong Shuu, a well-known businessman in Ywa Thit (New Village). Yusuf, who ran a successful motorcycle dealership affiliated with Mandalay-based Car & Motorcycle Pyo Company Ltd., had long been coerced into paying “taxes” to AA. Yet, despite years of compliance, his home has now been seized under fabricated allegations of links to armed groups.  

“AA is not honest. They take money from people, and now they are blocking their homes,” said a local Rohingya resident.  

This reflects a broader trend in Maungdaw and surrounding areas, where AA’s extortion network has become a suffocating financial burden for Rohingya residents. Business owners, traders, and even farmers have been forced to hand over large sums of money, only to see their properties confiscated regardless.  
Growing Extortion and Land Grabs
The forced evictions are part of a wider pattern of Rohingya persecution in Rakhine State.  

Families attempting to return to their villages after past violence have found their homes occupied or marked as “restricted” by AA forces. In Shwe Zar village alone, more than 50 homes have been sealed off, while in Kyain Tan, over 30 buildings have been confiscated.  

Residents report that AA demands exorbitant monthly “security fees” from Rohingya business owners, with rates increasing drastically in recent months. Those who fail to pay are accused of collaborating with enemies and risk being detained or expelled. Even those who comply are finding themselves dispossessed, proving that extortion is not about security—it’s about systematically stripping Rohingya of their economic and social stability.  
Erasing the Rohingya Presence
The systematic targeting of Rohingya businesses and homes appears to be part of a broader effort to erase the community from Maungdaw and other parts of Rakhine State.  

“We have nowhere to go, no rights, and no protection. They want to erase us from our land,” said a Rohingya resident.  

Despite global condemnation, both Myanmar’s military and armed groups like AA continue to exploit and suppress the Rohingya. The seizure of businesses and homes ensures that the community has no economic security, deepening their vulnerability.  

Calls for International Action

With the crisis escalating, human rights organizations are urging the international community to intervene.  

“This is another attempt to push the Rohingya out of Myanmar. The world cannot stay silent,” said a spokesperson for a Rohingya rights group.  

As Rohingya in Myanmar face worsening extortion, forced displacement, and economic strangulation, immediate international action is needed. Without pressure on the AA and Myanmar’s authorities, the remaining Rohingya population risks further persecution—leaving them with no future in their homeland.
 

BOB Post